Brief author bio:
Roger Johns is a former corporate lawyer and retired college professor, with
law degrees from LSU and Boston University. Before, during, and after those
endeavors, and before turning to mystery writing, he also worked as a script
reader, drapery hanger, waiter, bookseller, tuxedo rental clerk, ranch hand,
television-commercial agent's assistant, and party photographer--among other
things. His debut novel--Dark River Rising--was released in August 2017, by St.
Martin's Press/Minotaur Books. Roger grew up in Louisiana. He and his wife now
live in Georgia.

1. What is the most important thing that you have learned in your writing
experience, so far?
Set your goals for your writing career, clearly, from the beginning and
structure you efforts to reach those goals. Recognize that your plan may have
to change along the way, to account for obstacles or turns of good fortune, and
be flexible enough to make those changes. Become involved with your local
writing community, and be willing to give more than you receive. Write every
day. Never give up. Bring as much creativity to achieving your writing goals as
you do to your writing.

2. What would you say is your most interesting writing, publishing, editing or
illustrating quirk?
Most writers I’ve come into contact with seem to dread the editing and
rewriting process. Oddly, that’s my favorite part of the process.

3. Tell us about your experience with your publisher?
My publisher is St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, in New York. Working with
St. Martin’s has been an amazing experience. Every step of the way, from
initial contact with the editor who eventually acquired my book “DARK RIVER
RISING” to the negotiation of the contract, through every step of the editing
process, the solicitation of blurbs from established authors, the creation of
the cover art, and the publication and marketing of the book has been
interesting, educational, and a great deal of fun. I can’t imagine a smoother,
more professional process.

4. Any insights eBooks vs. print books and alternative vs. conventional
publishing?
Dark River Rising is my first novel, and it is being traditionally published,
so I have no experience as a self-publisher. My goal, from the outset was to be
traditionally published, and I am extremely happy to be with St. Martin’s. The
book is published in both hardcover an e-book formats, and while I’m able to
see a bit about how well the book is doing on Amazon, I don’t have any
information on how the e-book is doing relative to the hardcover. Because the
book has been out only about six weeks, it’s too early to have that data.
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that creating the book is
just the first step in the process. After that comes marketing and promotion.
Even with a traditional publisher, the expectation is that today’s authors will
be actively and continuously involved with marketing and promotion. For a
self-published author, the full marketing and promotional effort is in the
hands of the author and people the author hires. This is something every author
needs to be prepared to handle. It is a skill different from writing, and it
can be quite a challenge if it’s not something you’ve done before. Such was the
case with me. However, I have to say that I’ve enjoyed delving into this aspect
of the business. As much as I like the creative part of writing, the
opportunity to connect with booksellers and readers has been enormously
satisfying.

5. Do you have any secret tips for writers on getting a book published?
This goes back to my answer to the question above, about important things I’ve
learned along the way: Make sure you’re absolutely clear on what your goal is.
Because my goal was to be traditionally published, I forced myself to recognize
that traditional publishers publish only one kind of book, one that can be sold
for a profit. And the only books that make a profit are those that meet the
commercial standards of the marketplace. As a first time, unpublished writer
one must understand that traditional publishers know more about the standards
of the book selling/buying marketplace than you do, so if you want them to
publish your book you have to be willing to do your part to make sure it meets
those standards. That means you must learn to accept criticism from those who
know what they’re doing. Set your ego aside, put your cooperative-soul hat on,
and understand that you will need to make sacrifices to get your manuscript up
to commercial standards.

6. How did you or would you suggest acquire an agent? Any tips for new writers
on getting one?
I met my agent at the New York Pitch Fest, although she became my agent after I
was offered a contract for my book. An editor who did a 20-page manuscript
critique for me at an Atlanta Writers Conference asked to see the whole
manuscript, then eventually made an offer on the book. I was able to use that
offer to engage the agent I had met at the pitch fest a few weeks earlier. This
is backwards from the usual order of events, where an author first finds an
agent, then the agent shops the book to a publisher, and eventually a sale is
made. But I do a lot of things in reverse order. Sometimes that’s just the way
it happens, so one has to be open to an unconventional pathway. If you want to
publish with a major publisher, you will almost certainly need an agent. Lots
of smaller publishers, however, will accept unagented manuscripts. Just be
careful about contracts. I’m a lawyer with lots of commercial law experience,
but publishing contracts are different from other types of contracts, so even
if I had gone with a smaller press, I would have had the contract reviewed and
explained to me by someone knowledgeable in such matters. As to how to get an
agent, I don’t have anything terribly interesting or new to offer here. Just be
persistent, learn to pitch your book, don’t let setbacks stop you; make sure
you’re pitching to agents who are looking for the kind of book your hoping to
sell.

7. Do you have any suggestions or help for new writers (please be as specific
and informative as possible)?
Join a critique group, preferably one with members who are farther down the
path than you are. Learn to distinguish good advice from bad. If the group you
join isn’t helping, find another group. If the group isn’t actually critiquing
your work, find another group. Once you’re with a group too long, you will
probably become friends with the members of the group and this may compromise
their ability to provide honest critique. If this happens, you know what to do
find another group.

8. What was one of the most surprising things you learned with your creative
process with your books, editing, publishing or illustrating?
Writing a book-length manuscript can be a messy process. I’m a generally
precise, thoroughly-organized person, so dealing with the chaotic process of
crafting a story took some getting used to. I’m still getting used to it.

10. How many books have you written?
My first book is available now, wherever books are sold. My second book, the
second in the series, is in the editing process now.

10. Do you have any tricks or tips to help others become a better writer
(please be as specific and informative as you possibly can)?
Read a lot â€“ books of the type you want to write, as well as those you don’t
â€“ so you can see what has been successful and learn from those writers. And,
at the risk of becoming tediously repetitive, learn to take criticism, and don’t
let your ego get in the way.

11. Do you have any suggestions for providing twists in a good story?
I write mysteries and I like to create twists by providing ambiguous information
â€“ information that can credibly support more than one perspective â€“ then
use context to nudge the reader to adopt one perspective, while setting the
protagonist up to later adopt a different perspective on the information, one
which will allow the protagonist to see it for what it really means.

12.What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
A strong female protagonist, a south-Louisiana setting, a villain who is
motivated by something no one saw coming. And, while the story involves a lot
of danger for the protagonist and while there are dark parts in the story,
there are also a lot of light-hearted, uplifting, and even tender moments.

13. What are some ways in which you promote your work?
Facebook, Twitter, my own blog, my newsletter, guest blog spots, author
appearances at bookstores, libraries, literary festivals, and book readings,
and interviews.

14. What is the one thing you would do differently now (concerning writing or
editing or publishing or illustrating) and why?
I would become involved with my local writing community from the outset. Things
did not â€˜begin to happen’ for me until I became involved with my community
and learned to use the resources available. There’s just too much to learn and
too much that you don’t know that you don’t know to try to navigate the
publishing world on your own.

15. What saying or mantra do you live by?
Book publishing is a business, whether it’s traditional or self-publishing, and
you have to run your writing life in a business-like manner.

16. Anything else you would like to say?
Thank you for having me on your blog and for allowing me to share my experience
and my thoughts with your readers.